Le Pupille is an Italian-language short film that revolves around a Christian boarding school and its orthodox customs. The film is written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher, and produced by Academy Award-winning filmmakers Alfonso Cuarón, Carlo Cresto-Dina, and Gabriela Rodriguez. And has a total runtime of thirty-nine minutes.
The complete cast of the movie includes Alba Rohrwacher, Melissa Falasconi, Greta Zuccheri Montanari, Carmen Pommella, Lady Maru, Luciano Vergaro, Carlo Tarmati, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Furthermore, Hélène Louvart serves as the cinematographer of the flick, while Carlotta Cristiani heads the editing department.
-Le Pupille Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
The short film starts with glimpses of an orthodox Christian orphanage amidst the backdrop of war. And finds a number of rebellious orphan girls, learning to deal with the strict mannerisms of the place. At first, the setting itself clears out all the doubts about freedom and routine and propagates the idea of inclusiveness.
The mundane schedule of the orphanage girls initiates by waking up on time, making their beds, and listening to the war commentary while remaining completely standstill. Morever, they are constantly being told about the virtues of hell and heaven, with the latter being a place of fire and extreme temperature. This, in particular, is done to prevent them from the fancy follies of the everyday world.
However, the plot of the short film moves fast, when one of the girls (who is later described as the wicked one by the nun), accidentally changes the radio channel. The innocent mistake completely changes the environment of the group and breaks them into a song of dance and emotions.
There is also a specific part in Le Pupille, where the girls are prepared for Christmas day carols, and one of the visitors brings them a cake, made up of 70 eggs (in wartime). The entire scene folds out in an unexpected way and creates a sort of ruckus for the nuns, to control the visitor.
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What happens next in these two situations, is a cheeky commentary on the inhibiting customs, and their ironical due diligence. Followed by a comical and meta climax, that ends on a sweet note (quite literally). All in all, this Italian short film is a wholesome watch, that excels in showcasing the different ideas of freedom.
Humour is another strong element in this short film and is used quite effectively. Especially in the scene where all the girls, are made to clean their tongues, right after singing the lyrics of the radio song. The entire thing is both hilarious and daunting and plays out the message of orthodox customs, quite brilliantly.
Le Pupille Final Thoughts
This Italian short film is an amazing watch and fills with you an array of emotions. Moreover, there are certain moments which will make you laugh, enjoy and think deeply, all at the same time.
You can watch the film on Disney Plus Hotstar. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.
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